Forensic Laboratories, Standards & Quality Assurance in India
In India, the National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratory (NABL) is an autonomous body under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. NABL is a signatory to International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and Asia Pacific
LaboratoryAccreditationCooperation(APLAC)MutualRecognitionArrangements(MRAs)and is therefore part of the global ecosystem of standardization and quality management system concerning testing and calibration laboratories.
NABL has been established with the objective of providing the Government, Industry Associations, and Industry in general with a scheme of Conformity Assessment Body’s accreditation which involves third-party assessment of the technical competence of testing including medical and calibration laboratories, proficiency testing providers, and reference material producers. The Government of India has authorized NABL as the sole accreditation body for testing and calibration laboratories. There are a wide variety of fields in the realm of testing and calibration which are covered by NABL. In India results of laboratories accredited by NABL are being accepted by the Government and various Regulators and Regulatory Bodies – CGHS & Government hospital Laboratories, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Food Safety & Standards Authority of India, etc. As may be seen from its website, NABL has a rigorous and thorough procedure for accreditation and auditing of laboratories. And only the institutions accredited by NABL can carry its symbol on their reports, etc. The laboratories and institutions are regularly audited in order to maintain their accreditation & license. This ensures that standards are maintained and adhered to by all, and deviations if any are detected, isolated, and corrected in time and regularly.
